These Violet Delights
by RobinDanielle
Summary: Nessa Clark has a secret. She has visions. She's also been having dreams about a certain symbiote she hasn't met yet. So when she has a chance encounter with ex investigative reporter Eddie Brock and has a vision that just might connect the two, of course she's more than a little freaked out- until she realizes her greatest nightmare just might be her salvation. Venom x OC
1. Chapter 1

_She splashed through another puddle of water. She didn't know why she was coming this way. Too dark. And this was San Francisco after all. She turned a corner between the two buildings. Dead end. She heard movement behind her. A hissing sound. She whipped around. A shadow loomed ahead of her she glanced up. A large, black, slick looking creature clung to the building. It opened its mouth revealing large, knifelike teeth. A long tongue, covered in saliva, lolled out of its mouth._

 _She screamed. But when she turned and started to run, black tendrils shot out, grabbing her arms and torso and pinning her to the brick wall. The creature loomed in front of her. Milky white eyes stared at her. Her heart pounded as a cold, sick dread filled her stomach._

" _ **You smell delicious, sweet one. We wonder if you taste as nice as you smell."**_

 _She opened her mouth to speak, but let out a gasp instead. "P-please don't eat me."_

 _The creature looked taken aback._ _ **"Eat you? Who ever said about eating you? We only want a taste."**_

 _He opened his mouth and brought his head down towards her. She screamed._

Nessa Clark sat up in bed, covered in a sheen of sweat. This was the third time she had had this nightmare—the alley, the creature of black goo. She pulled herself into a better sitting position. She had had some strange dreams before, but this… She pulled back the covers and climbed out of bed. She went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. Sapphire blue eyes stared back at her. She dried her hands and ran them through her dyed, chin length black hair. She really needed to gain some weight. And the fact that that she was barely over five feet didn't help either. She looked like a gothic fairy. Nessa yawned. She used the bathroom and then shuffled along back to bed. As she pulled up the covers, she glanced at the clock. 3:50. Three more hours until time to get up for work. Not that it mattered what time she got up at. She got back under the covers and closed her eyes, trying to even her breathing. Surprisingly, it didn't take her long to fall asleep.

* * *

"Palm readings for twenty dollars! Tarot readings for thirty!" People kept passing. Nessa swallowed the dryness in her throat. She would have to take a break for lunch soon. "Palm readings for twenty dollars!"

"You think someone would want to have their palms read."

Maria plopped herself on the sidewalk next to Nessa's chair.

"You mean besides you?" Nessa gave her a sweet smile.

Maria chuckled. "You've had what, two customers so far today?"

Nessa sighed. "Yeah."

Maria patted Nessa's thigh. "It's morning. It'll pick up soon."

"Yeah," Nessa repeated. Then in a more chipper voice she said, "Hey thanks for letting me share your space."

"No problem, hun. And speaking of which, I need to get to work. Holla at ya later."

"Bye."

Maria stood. Nessa watched her walk down a ways to the free newspaper dispenser. The homeless woman then took them out and plopped them down on the sidewalk against the wall. Nessa shook her head. She couldn't help but pity the older woman, but Maria took advantage of people. At least Nessa was trying to earn money honestly, however shady her work was. A couple of young women stopped in front of her table and glanced around at what was on it.

They were unsure, but Nessa could also feel their excitement.

She grinned at them. "Care to have your palms read, loves?"

* * *

Carlton Drake, head and founder of the Life Foundation, started at the dead body through the glass of one of the containment rooms.

He sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "Another mess to clean up."

A middle aged Middle Eastern woman pushed up her glasses nervously. "Sir, we are running out of volunteers."

"I know, Dr. Skirth."

At that moment, a tall, burly man stepped forward. "Mr. Drake, there's something you need to know."

Drake watched the symbiote slithering around inside the containment room like a pile of living slime. "What is it, Treece?"

"Chavez here says he knows someone who knows the streets; hangs out with the homeless."

Drake finally regarded his group of men. "Really?" He glanced at a shorter, Latino guy in the group.

Chavez gave a nod. "It's true, sir. I used to have a buddy of mine. He's got a girl, well…they're not together anymore. She has these abilities."

Drake raised his eyebrows. He placed his hands in his pockets and sauntered over to Chavez. "What kind of abilities?"

Chavez glanced back and forth between Treece and Drake.

"The kind that can help us find exactly what we're looking for."

* * *

Nessa was furious. Someone had trashed her table. Again. Maria was supposed to be watching it for her. Luckily Nessa had taken her crystal ball and cards with her when she had gone to grab a bite to eat. She placed her drink and bagged sub sandwich on the table and grabbed her sign that said "Miss Violet's Palm and Tarot Readings" that was lying on the sidewalk a foot away. She stuck it under her table. She glanced down the way and saw Maria sitting in her usual spot next to the adult store. Nessa grabbed her drink and food and started walking in that direction. The sidewalk was jammed packed. Nessa made her way around a group of people who were too busy talking and laughing to watch where they were going. She was almost to Maria when a man walked out of the adult store. Nessa stopped just in time. Her drink sloshed in her hand.

"Woah, watch it, girl."

She held up her full hands. "Sorry. I am so sorry," she told the man as he walked off the way she had come from.

She took a couple of steps backwards and turned around…

And slammed into a wall of muscle. Nessa dropped her drink and food. She stumbled backwards. The guy caught her forearms. As soon as she touched her, her vision was overtaken.

A man stumbled around, his face and grey hoodie he was wearing drenched in sweat. He grabbed his head. The vision shifted to show the same man in what appeared to be an apartment punch a man in some kind black military garb. Except the hand that had punched the other guy hadn't been his own, but was instead large, black and slick looking.

Nessa stumbled again as the vision went away. This one had come on hard and she probably would have fallen had the guy not been holding on to her.

Maria was on her feet. "Eddie, why don't you watch where the hell you're going?"

Nessa stared up at the guy in front of her. He was same one from her vision.

"You alright? I'm so sorry." He told her.

"Yeah," she replied weakly.

"Here, let me get this." He bent to pick up her stuff.

Maria was looking at Nessa funny. "Ness?"

Nessa didn't answer. What had been wrong with this guy, or rather, was going to be wrong with him? Why had his hand looked like it was made out of the same black stuff as the creature she had been seeing in her dreams?

The guy stood with her drink, or what was left of it, in his hand.

"Aw shit. I'll buy you another one." He handed her sandwich. It was still in its bag, unscathed.

She still stared at him, not saying anything.

"Jeez, Eddie." Maria put her hands on her hips. "Ya happy? You just knocked her senseless."

"I'll make it up to you," Eddie told Nessa. "Just tell me where you got this," he held up her cup, "and I'll get you another one."

"Maybe uh…maybe some other time." Nessa gave him a ghost of a smile. "It's getting late. I should head home anyway."

"You sure? I don't mind."

Nessa sighed. The guy was cute. And it had been a while since she had actually hung out with anyone. "My table's over here." She gestured with her sandwich.

She and Eddie started walking.

"So you uh…sell things?" he asked.

"Well not exactly…things. I'm uh…" She picked up her bag with her ball and cards. "I do tarot readings."

Eddie gave a nod. "Nice."

They got back to Nessa's table. She set her stuff down. "Look, don't worry about the drink. I'm sure that's not the first time that's happened." She glanced back down the way they had come. "I'm sure you didn't get that paper for free either."

Eddie made a noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a laugh. "I take it you've known Maria for a while."

Nessa shrugged. "Long enough. She's good to have around though. We look out for each other." She leaned back against the table and crossed her arms over her chest. She was dying to ask this guy who the hell he was.

"So will I see you around then?"

Eddie shrugged. "Don't see why not. I pass this way to go home. I'll be sure to stop by and say hi again, Miss…"

It took a second for Nessa to realize he wanted her name. "Oh. Vanessa." She pointed to her herself. "I'm Vanessa. But everyone calls me Nessa. Or if you want to, you can also call me," she reached under the table and pulled out her sign.

Eddie read it. "Miss Violet. Sounds pretty cool."

Nessa shrugged. "It's my middle name. It's what the general public knows me as."

"Well then I'll see you around, Miss Violet." He waved his paper at her. "And I _will_ pay you back for that drink."

She nodded. "I'll hold you up to that. Oh and, Eddie…" She stepped up to him with her right palm out in a calming gesture, "please, _please_ be careful out there. I know San Fran isn't the worse city, but…" She wanted so badly to tell him about her vision, about her gift, but that would have to be for another time. "Just be careful."

He gave her a smile and a wink. "You too."

And then he was gone into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: I apologize if anything from the movie is inaccurate. I only saw Venom once and it's been a few weeks._

Eddie Brock stared out over San Francisco Bay. The cool night breeze whipped around him. Carlton Drake had ruined him. Or at least that's what Eddie had tried to convince himself of countless times. Eddie sighed and glanced down at the card in his hand. Dora Skirth. Could Eddie trust her? He had told himself he was done with investigative journalism—especially when it came to Carlton Drake.

He thought of the girl. Miss Violet. It had been almost a week since he had literally run into her on Maria's block of the street. The girl had acted strangely. But what was even stranger was the warning she had given him before he had left her. To be careful. Eddie tapped Dr. Skirth's card thoughtfully on the bridge railing. Something was off about all of this. He glanced at his watch, wondering if the palm reader was still at her station or if she had gone home for the night.

Only one way to find out.

* * *

Maria sat at Nessa's table. This was the second time today the girl had asked her to watch it for her. Not that Maria had minded. It wasn't like she had anything better to do. She saw a group of burly men in dark military looking clothing coming towards her and eyed them skeptically. Her heart started beating faster as they made a beeline for Nessa's table. Maria sighed. Who had Nessa ticked off now? From what Maria knew, the younger girl was accurate with her readings. Maria still never understood how she did it. And then a cold feeling of dread filled her. Did these goons have anything to do with Nessa's ex. Suddenly Maria was glad Nessa wasn't around. Finally the three men approached her.

"Can I help you?" she asked coolly.

The men stopped directly in front of the table.

"We're looking for a Vanessa Clark," one of them said.

Maria raised an eyebrow at him. "She's out right now. Can I help you with something?"

"You need to tell us where she is." The same man crossed his arms.

Maria stood. "Look I don't know what you want with her. I don't know if she gave you a bad reading or what, but she's not here. I don't know how long until she'll be back."

It wasn't a complete lie.

"So you're covering for her," said a tall blond guy. "Is that what this is? She saw us coming down the street so she made you stay here in her place?"

Maria frowned. She had a feeling this wasn't the kind of confrontation that was going to end well.

She held up her hands, palm forward. "Look I'm just watching her table for her until she gets back from her dinner break."

"Then you'll have to do," blond guy said. "Mr. Drake doesn't have all night."

"Mr. Drake also gave us specific directions to take Vanessa. Only Vanessa," a young Latino guy spoke up.

Blond guy chuckled. "Look at her though." He gestured at Maria. "She counts as what we're looking for also. And besides, we can always come back for the other chick. Didn't you say you can find out where she lives?"

Maria's eyes grew wide. Whoever these guys were, they weren't up to any good. She bolted. But of course she wasn't fast enough. They bolted after her. Maria screamed as they grabbed her and carried her off.

* * *

Nessa's footsteps hastened as she headed back to her table. Something was wrong. She could feel it. Could taste it in her mouth. When her table finally came into view, she stopped short. It was completely trashed. She approached it slowly. She had had people mess with it before, but it had never been anything drastic. But this. People trampled her table cloth. And her sign had been torn. She got to her knees and picked up her beloved crystal ball. It was covered in spiderweb cracks. Luckily she had thought to bring her cards with her. Her Ghosts and Spirits deck was one of her most treasured ones. She glanced around frantically, looking for Maria, but the homeless woman was nowhere in sight. Had she done this? Maria could be somewhat eccentric at times, but Nessa had never known her to be violent. Nessa set the crystal ball down and went to Maria's spot. It looked completely undisturbed.

She threw her hands up in the air. "What?" she said dismally.

"Violet?"

She whirled around. Eddie Brock stood several feet in front of her.

"Eddie." She approached him. "Have you seen Maria?"

He pointed behind him. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I went to get something to eat. Maria was supposed to be watching my table for me. I came back and found everything in ruins. And I can't find Maria anywhere."

Eddie steepled his hands in front of his mouth. "I need to talk to you. The first time we met, you told me to be careful. I need to know why you told me that."

Nessa went to walk past him. "Now is not the time, Eddie."

He grabbed her arm. "Look I'm about to get involved in something. Something big. Something I think your friend might be involved in."

Nessa stared at him thoughtfully. "You think Maria did this?"

"No. But I think I know who did. I think she got kidnapped. And it wasn't by someone good."

Nessa's mouth fell open. "What?"

"I need you to tell me why I needed to be careful that night."

Nessa sighed. "Eddie…"

"Am I in some kind of danger? Because your friend sure is."

Nessa frowned at him. There wasn't much she could tell him. She didn't even know if he would believe her. Damien had thought that she was crazy once as well. And then he had used her for his own selfish and devious ends.

Would Eddie Brock be the same?

Nessa swallowed. "The night we ran into each other, I saw something."

He shook his head and shrugged. "Saw something?"

Nessa let her posture go slack. "I have visions. Sometimes they happen when I touch people." He didn't say anything, so she continued. "You were in a room somewhere. It looked like some kind of apartment. You were fighting off a group of men. And it looked like something was…powering you."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Powering me? What like super powers? Like a super hero?"

Nessa sighed again. "Look you asked. And can I have my arm back, please?"

He released her. "Sorry. You do know how that sounds right?"

"Like I'm crazy? Yeah. Heard that before."

Eddie raked his hand over his face. "Look if I asked you to come see someone with me, would you?"

Nessa frowned. Could she trust him? "Does this have to do with Maria? With where you think she was brought to?"

"Yeah. But I would need to make a call to her first. The woman I want you to meet."

Nessa bit her lip. This had to do with the vision she had had about Eddie. Maybe she could help him somehow. "Alright. Help me put my stuff in my car."

Ten minutes later, Nessa was in her car, following Eddie on his motorcycle. After a while, they started to head out of the city. They started nearing this large facility. Eddie pulled off the road and stopped by a black SUV. He parked his bike and dismounted. Nessa got out of her vehicle as well. A woman in what appeared to be a white lab coat and glasses got out of the SUV. Nessa stayed back while the woman spoke to Eddie. Finally Eddie motioned to Nessa so she stepped forward.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Skirth," the woman said. "Eddie tells me you have a friend that's missing. That he thinks someone from the Life Foundation took her."

Nessa narrowed her eyes. She glanced at Eddie. Eddie hadn't mentioned the Life Foundation but Nessa had heard of it. "Uh…yeah. That place."

"Eddie, I really appreciate you wanting to bring a friend along, but I really don't feel that it's safe for her here."

"Well _she_ ," Eddie gestured at Nessa, "saw something. She thinks I might be in danger. I brought her along just in case."

"Saw something?" Dr. Skirth shot a questioning glance at Nessa.

"I had a vision less than a week ago about Eddie."

Dr. Skirth held up her hand, palm forward. "Wait a minute. What is your name?"

Nessa narrowed her eyes at the other woman. "Vanessa. Vanessa Clark."

If the doctor would have smiled at Nessa, Nessa still would have known the woman was afraid. It was coming off of her in a dark wave. Dr. Skirth shot a horrified glance back and forth at her and Eddie.

"She can't be here. You need to send her home," Dr. Skirth told Eddie.

Nessa knit her brows together. "Okay color me confused. Why is it okay for Eddie to be here and not me?"

"Do you know a Ricardo Chavez?"

Nessa's blood froze. She had heard that name before. More times then she had cared to. She glanced around nervously.

"This is a trap," she said to herself. Then to Dr. Skirth, "Is this some kind of trap? Are you working for Damien?"

Dr. Skirth gave Nessa a confused look. "I work for Carlton Drake. I don't know anyone named Damien."

Nessa made her hands into fists. "If you know Ricardo Chavez, then that is enough." She shook her head at Eddie and Dr. Skirth. "I'm sorry. But I think Dr. Skirth is right. I need to go."

She turned to leave. Eddie got in front of her. "Oh no no wait. You can't just leave me."

Nessa glared at Eddie and then told him something she wished she would have had the courage to tell her ex a long time ago.

"I am only a vessel for the visions. They are not my responsibility." She inwardly cringed at the look of disappointment on his face. "I'm sorry, Eddie." She shrugged and gave him a wan smile. "I'm not the hero you need me to be."

She got in her car and left. That night, Nessa had a dream. She was standing in front of a rocket ship, watching as it launched into space. A sense of sadness and despair filled her.

"I am so, so sorry."

In her dream, she turned. Standing next to her was the creature of black goo.


End file.
